We always emphasize “blind and sighted as equals.” But this email reminds us that our accessibility reaches beyond…
“Hello, I am Mimmier, a great grand mother of so many can’t count them all. My son help me get this account for my birthday. So, say Hi to me on the tables and i will tap out a message with these old stiff fingers”
I’ve had the pleasure of playing with numerous great grandparents, now if only I can get my own father to use a computer *smile*.
I just found this amazing email from a long time ago – it still makes me proud…
“What All inPlay has made is blessing for all of us. I recently recovered from a coma. And Honey, the fun I have and all the friends I’ve made help me make it from one breathing treatment to the next. Thank you!”
-All inPlay Member Jody, January 2003.
Wow. Thank you Jody.
All inPlay is more than an online games site, it is a community of people sharing the values of fun & friendship. From the very beginning this was critical to our design – and it remains the centerpiece of All inPlay’s value to this day. Back when I was running day-to-day operations, it was the Community Director role that was my most vital – and often the most rewarding.
It didn’t feel like “work” when I logged onto a table in the midst of a tournament and chatted with people who had been up for nearly 24 hours and felt on top of the world. Are there bugs? Do servers crash? Are there some unpleasant people in the world? Of course – but the vast majority of the time the site *just works* and people get to have fun.
When All inPlay was founded in 2000, we were told “video games for the blind are impossible – never mind trying to make it so blind and sighted can play *AS EQUALS*.”
Our Members beg to disagree…
“You play against other people who are sitting at this virtual poker table on the Internet, and the software does not care – the players do not care – who is blind and who is sighted.”
“All inPlay software is the best example of universally designed software I have seen to date. It is model that others should emulate.”
“Out of curiosity, last night as I was playing, I tried to figure out who had some sight by the way they were playing and was not able to.”
“If it is a complement, I’ve been asked if I was sighted a couple times. I’m not. I just know what I want to do with my hand before it’s my turn and am ready to do it when it comes my way.”
If you are blind, many of the social activities the sighted take for granted become difficult or impossible to engage in as an equal. All inPlay’s mission has always been to create a place where people can come together, regardless of if they can or cannot see well.
As we hoped, this allowed people to reconnect with friends and family they had long been isolated from. Here are some quotes from emails kindly sent to us by our members…
“I am an only child and living on my own. I have always had problems finding someone to play cards with me. Now the problem is solved. thank you and keep up the great work.”
“When I first logged on, how surprised I was to find a life-long friend of mine, waiting for me at a table. Neither of us had planned this, so it was coincidence. We had been playing cards since childhood, so I introduced her to the site several months ago. The game was great, but the feelings of friendship and fun made it even better. Thanks”
“I’m 70 years old, have been blind for many years now. I used to be pretty bored and alone inside my house. Now, at a moment’s notice, I can hop online and play with my new friends all over the world, any time of day or night.”
As the Lead Designer for All inPlay from 2000-2008, I had the great joy of helping build the virtual economies that run behind the scenes in our games. Each of our fake-gambling games uses its own virtual currency. And guess what, we run into all the sorts of problems that real world governments do with currency! We have inflation, moral hazard, the whole nine yards.
Striking the balance has always been tricky! If a player runs out of money and can’t play anymore, then they will play more carefully (and realistically) with their chips. That increases the fun for people. However, if you go broke and can’t play – then *you* aren’t having fun. And *you* won’t likely renew your subscription if you aren’t having fun. But if we give players endless chips – then the economy gets awfully distorted.
We eventually settled on a design where players who are broke (or near broke) can get small infusions of more play-money. however, the amount they get is too small to let them play at the “big dog” tables. This seemed to strike a nice balance between allowing people a forgiving world while also rewarding those with skill and ensuring that the top tables had truly skilled players.
The years I’ve spent learning these lessons gives me a new appreciation for the people who run our *real* economy and the battles they fight to try and keep it running smoothly.
Years ago, when All inPlay was still beta testings its first game Draw Poker, Member Aquarius kindly emailed us this wonderful little note: “Thanks again for giving me an opportunity to play poker once again. It had been well over 30 years since I had played family poker and did not think I would ever play again.”
Member Tom Lorimer wrote in saying “Thanks for setting the Poker game up, for the first time in my life, I’ve been able to play a decent card game with my 2 daughters, who are both sighted, and unfortunately, better players than me, smile.”
And ScottWhite said “My family has played games on the net for a good while but Friday night was the first time ever that I have been able to play with them. Which is fantastic to feel a part of the same sorts of things that your other family members do for entertainment.”
*THAT* is what motivated us to start this website. Our thanks to everyone who kindly shares their stories with us.
There is no better way to know the quality of a product then to hear what its users have to say.
Player Stories is a series of posts we’ll do from time to time with quotes and stories sent to us by our players.
Shrewsbury, MA – All inPlay announced that its sixth title, a fully accessible and multiplayer version of the classic casino game Black Jack, is now in beta.
“The game uses play money, so people can enjoy the thrill of betting without the risk of losing their shirt. And the carefully designed virtual economy ensures that people play in a realistic fashion,” remarked All inPlay co-Founder Paul Silva. “Black Jack is a great example of how you can take a simple game and transform it into an online experience that can be enjoyed by anyone, blind or sighted.”
This game expands the Company’s play-money-based casino game offerings to three: Five Card Draw Poker, Texas Hold’em Poker, and now Black Jack. Meanwhile, the company’s family-friendly games continue to attract new players. These games include: Crazy Eights, TAG-The Anagram Game, and Loco Locution.
All inPlay is allowing anyone interested in playing the game to do so completely free of charge while the game is in beta. Anyone can sign up for the beta, at http://allinplay.com. Those interested in trying any of All inPlay’s other game can do so free for 15 days, also at http://allinplay.com.
About All inPlay
All inPlay creates a fun, friendly environment that brings together blind and sighted friends from around the world to socialize and play a variety of games. Players can choose from Texas Hold’em, Draw Poker, Crazy Eights, Tag, Loco Locution, and now Black Jack. A subscription to All inPlay, which includes unlimited access to all games, costs $7.95 per month, with discounted quarterly and yearly plans also available. All inPlay is committed to working with educational and rehabilitation institutions to offer their patrons access to the All inPlay community. A free trial is available at http://allinplay.com.
Greetings, All inPlayers,
We’re happy to announce that our fifth game, Loco Locution, is complete. Featuring elements similar to the television show Lingo, players guess four and five letter words using clues given after each guess. Several game varieties and speeds are available. You can sign up for a free trial at: http://allinplay.com/free_trial.html
Cheers,
The All inPlay Team
